Community urged to audition for Theatre MSU show

Theatre MSU will be holding an open audition for its next production, and members of the community are encouraged to participate.
“I think it’s very important that any university open up to the community in which they serve,” production director Donna Clevinger said. “Our students are given the opportunity of working in the community theatre and arts, so why not open this play, which is about the community, to the community?”
Clevinger is holding an open audition for the community Jan. 12 and 13 at 6:30 p.m. in McComas Hall on Mississippi State’s campus for the drama “The Diviners” by James Leonard Jr.
Those interested need not prepare a monologue, Clevinger said, “I’ll do all the work, they just need to come and enjoy the experience.”
“The Diviners” takes place in a small, fictional Indiana town during the Great Depression.
“This moving and thought-provoking drama is the story of a disturbed young boy and his friendship with a disenchanted preacher,” Clevinger said.
“Living through heartaches and hardships, singing songs of praise and joy, continuing family traditions and dreaming of future promises, these good and simple people come together for the play’s astonishing and memorable ending.”
To cast the show, Clevinger is seeking six men and six women of all ages, and she is hoping for a large turnout from the community.
“The show is a composite of a community where you have younger people and older people and there is a lot of exchange and working together,” Clevinger said.
“I think we can learn a great deal by having a variety of different individuals in the arts.”
Clevinger hopes to cast the show the day after auditions and explained that the rehearsal schedule will be flexible and determined after the show is casted to accommodate the performers’ schedules.
The show will run Feb. 24 to 26.
Clevinger is excited about the university reaching out into the community, especially after the drama department teamed up with the music department on campus for a very successful production of “The Magic Flute” this fall.
“’The Magic Flute’ was successful because of the community support and positive feedback,” Clevinger said. “We would appreciate very much the continued community support for this production.”
In addition to opening up auditions for the community, “The Diviners” will also put a new spin on how audiences will enjoy the show.
“For this production, the audience will truly share the stage with the actors as part of the drama since the performances will be presented on the McComas auditorium stage as part of a special fundraiser for the theatre program’s equipment and staging needs,” Clevinger explained.
For more information, contact Clevinger by phone at 325-4034 or by e-mail at dclevinger@meridian.msstate.edu[3].